All Posts By Maria Russo

Maria Russo is an editor at Food Network, now living in New York City after being born and raised in the great state of Michigan. She likes her eggs runny, her pasta cheesy and has been known to throw back dozens of oysters at a time.

With the new year just days away, the focus has already started to shift from hearty, indulgent holiday buffets to lighter meals ideal for 2015 resolutions. This year, when the clock strikes midnight on January 1, skip the fad diets and embrace wholesome, naturally leaner cooking. All you need are a few go-to strategies and recipes you can count on, and for those, look no further than Melissa d’Arabian‘s all-new cookbook, Supermarket Healthy: Recipes and Know-How for Eating Well Without Spending a Lot.

In her brand-new publication, the host of Ten Dollar Dinners and the Picky Eaters Project shares how simple it can be to not only feed your family better-for-you dishes, but do that on a budget as well. She’s introducing 130 recipes for savory and sweet picks alike, including Deconstructed Lasagna and Cinnamon Popovers with Cream Cheese Glaze. Perhaps best of all, you don’t need to seek out specialty shops to find recipe ingredients; your everyday market is A-OK. Just stick to Melissa’s good-to-know tricks for navigating the grocery store and check out her recipe Blueprints — customizable templates for creating such favorites as meatballs and trail mix — and you can indeed start the new year on a healthier note.

It’s the name of the Cutthroat Kitchen game to face sabotage, so it’s no surprise when chefs meet an oddball challenge or two throughout the contest as they must balance saving and spending their money in an effort to defend themselves. But in tonight’s all-new episode, one competitor was prepared to face an onslaught of sabotages. Chef Kyle intended to complete the contest without making a single bid, and sure enough, he succeeded, walking away with his entire $25,000 starting sum.

Despite Chef Kyle’s success, his win didn’t come without struggle, as host Alton Brown and judge Jet Tila revealed when they dished on several of his sabotages on the latest installment of the After-Show. Not only did Chef Kyle contend with a chopped-up pork chop in Round 2’s pork-chop-and-applesauce test, but he also faced a double onslaught of sabotage in Round 3. In true diabolical fashion, Alton put a literal spin on ice cream cones when he auctioned off traffic cones as the sole mixing vessels and then later sold an oversize protective cone to be worn around the neck. Chef Kyle accepted both of these. Upon trying on the cone for himself, Jet noticed that it would compromise the chef’s vision, “especially at your workstation.”

Robert Irvine never met a mission he didn’t like, and while most of his challenges involve rebuilding failing restaurants, in January he’s turning his focus to improving something else: Americans’ health. On Robert’s all-new special Fitness: Impossible (airing Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 11|10c), he’s setting his sights on motivating fans to achieve healthier lifestyles through smarter food choices and realistic exercise plans. FN Dish recently checked in with Robert to learn more about how he stays fit and to find out what his workout regime looks like. Read on below for an exclusive interview with Robert and get the details on how he manages to stick to his fitness plan even in the midst of his busy schedule.

Tell us about your fitness routine and diet. How do you stay in such shape?Robert Irvine: I work out six days a week. … I eat small meals more frequently — eight to 12 meals a day, every two and a half hours. My protein is literally — whether it be chicken or shrimp, whatever it is — no bigger than a deck of cards each meal. And my starch — rice, potatoes, French fries even — no bigger than a mouse you use on your computer per meal. And [in the] afternoon, I don’t do carbs. I just do protein and salads and vegetables.

What’s your favorite workout routine?RI: I work out each muscle group using low weights and higher reps.

No matter if your New Year’s Eve plans include an all-night bash or a casual evening in front of the television, ring in 2015 with eats and drinks worthy of the celebration. When planning your holiday menu, consider the size of the crowd you’ll be hosting and decide whether you’ll do a full sit-down dinner or a smaller selection of hearty bites. Check out Food Network’s top-five sweet and savory recipes below for New Year’s Eve favorites from Ina Garten, Rachael Ray, Giada De Laurentiis and more chefs, then visit Holiday Central for our entire collection of New Year’s fare.

4. Lobster Mac & Cheese — If you feel like splurging on account of the special occasion, look no further than Ina’s richly decadent macaroni and cheese. These individually portioned casseroles are loaded with fresh lobster plus nutty Gruyère cheese, which together create over-the-top indulgence.

While New Year’s comes at the end of a long holiday season, it’s surely no less important than the celebrations leading up to it — especially for chef and Chopped judge Marc Murphy. “Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve are, as far as I’m concerned, the two holidays that I find are the best,” the restaurateur behind Landmarc, Kingside and Ditch Plains restaurants told FN Dish recently, “because you don’t have to buy any presents. There’s no pressure of buying presents for anybody.” According to Marc, “It’s nice to concentrate on the food and the beverage on Thanksgiving and on New Year’s,” and quality eating and drinking are indeed what Marc focuses on for the New Year’s Eve party at his house. From holiday treats like caviar and oysters to make-ahead lasagna, dressed-up cocktails and next-day frittatas, Marc revealed to FN Dish how he rings in the new year with his family and friends — and even shared his go-to Negroni recipe. Read on below to hear more from Marc in an exclusive interview.

What does New Year’s Eve looks like in your home with your family? How do you celebrate?Marc Murphy: We usually go to Long Island; I have a house out there and we fill it up with a bunch of friends — however many people can stay there as possible — and we just sort of hang out and eat and drink and party. Everyone brings over their kids, and the kids stay up late and jump up and down on the beds and watch the ball drop and scream and yell and run around the house so late, and it’s a lot of fun.

From giant whisks and ice cube trays to banana leaves and coffee filters, Cutthroat Kitchen contestants have faced their share of oddball trinkets that host Alton Brown eviliciously repurposed into mixing tools and vessels. But on tonight’s all-new episode, one chef was forced to use not a new tool to mix but something a bit more rustic — her hands — to make cupcakes.

Since the taste and texture of cupcakes depend upon a well-mixed batter, it’s important for the wet and dry ingredients to be thoroughly combined, and the limitations of people’s hands may indeed prevent that from happenings. After all, some people’s hands are smaller than others, and one of the chef’s two hands would likely be needed to add ingredients, so would this sabotage be fair to ask of the competitors? The Cutthroat Kitchen culinary crew got to work in testing the validity of the sabotage, and sure enough, after one somewhat slimy attempt, food stylist Jamie Peterson admitted that he was “starting to get into a cupcake place” with the batter forming within his hands.

Hearty, warming and simple to prepare, soup may be the ultimate answer to year-end gatherings; after all, just one batch can feed a crowd, and most recipes come together in a hurry. This week’s Most Popular Pin of the Week is no exception, as The Pioneer Woman’s satisfying tomato soup boasts the full, rich flavor of diced tomatoes, rich cream and fragrant basil, and, perhaps best of all, the soup can be on the table in only 40 minutes. Follow Ree Drummond’s lead and add a bit of sugar to the tomato soup as it simmers — this will help balance the acidity of the tomatoes.

Christmas may be less than a week away, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have time left to prepare a holidayworthy feast. To pull off an easy and enjoyable celebration, opt for simplicity instead of intricacy when it comes to menu planning, and stick with classic dishes that you know will appeal to your guests. Read on below for Food Network’s top-five last-minute Christmas dinner recipes from Ina Garten, Rachael Ray and more of your favorite chefs to find go-to ideas for main dishes and sides to round out your seasonal spread.

5. Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon — Follow Sunny Anderson’s lead and cook the Brussels sprouts in the same pan in which you sauteed the bacon — this will help the vegetables absorb the decadent taste of bacon fat as they become golden brown.

4. Fettuccine with Quick Ragu — Not all meat sauces require hours of slow cooking; this one from Food Network Magazine, boasting a hearty saute of garlic, ground veal or turkey, and crushed tomatoes, takes only 35 minutes to prepare.

‘Tis the season for giving, and with that in mind, FN Dish is offering its loyal readers the chance to win a holiday present: a 2015 calendar. Not your ordinary calendar, this beauty celebrates what will be “the sweetest year ever from FoodNetwork.com,” and with that comes 13 months’ worth of mouthwatering dessert photos and Food Network Kitchen’s sweet-tooth-satisfying recipes for tried-and-true picks like Go-To Chocolate Chip Cookies and Quick & Easy Tiramisu and for next-level ideas like Popcorn Sandwich Cookies with Salted Caramel.

2015 will be a year of cakes, cookies, cobblers and more with this calendar, and while you can buy one now at the Food Network Store, FN Dish is giving away one calendar for free to five lucky, randomly selected fans. All you have to do to enter to win is leave a comment telling us which of Food Network Kitchen’s recipes is your favorite; you must include the recipe URL to be eligible to win (find all of the recipes here).

With just days left until Christmas, you’re likely in the midst of mad dashes to the shopping mall, last-minute gift-wrapping, cookie decorating and holiday party planning. But, of course, you still need dinner tonight, and surely this is no time to prepare intricate plates and involved recipes. This week calls for the ultimate in speed and simplicity, and for that, The Pioneer Woman‘s easiest, quickest meals fit the bill. Ready to eat in less than 30 minutes, Ree Drummond‘s family-friendly picks are dinners you can count on; most are made with refrigerator staples, and they’re comforting enough to fight the winter chill. Read on below to get Ree’s go-to supper ideas, including hearty taco salad and DIY pizza.

5. Chicken Taco Salad — Ree builds layer upon layer of flavor in her satisfying salad by starting with a bed of greens, then adding juicy seasoned chicken and classic taco-style fixings, like grilled corn, fresh tomatoes, creamy cheese and cool avocado. For an extra-special finish, top the salad with next-level dressing: bottled ranch spiked with salsa.

4. French Bread Pizzas — Instead of making pizza dough the crust, Ree starts with sliced rolls or baguettes and builds five varieties of pies to please everyone: tomatoes with basil, bacon and pineapple, and more.

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